Ulster Scots

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency treats Ulster Scots as a distinct ethnic group.

Baroness Amos: The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) produces statistics on self-reported ethnic groups, the most comprehensive source being the 2001 census of population. In addition to a number of pre-coded categories, the census question on ethnic group included an open-ended response option enabling respondents to describe the ethnic group to which they considered they belonged. Respondents to this option included persons who described themselves as Ulster Scots.

Northern Ireland Equality Commission

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the percentage breakdown of the staff of the Northern Ireland Equality Commission in terms of religion and gender.

Baroness Amos: The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland provides this information in its annual report which is available in the Library.
	The 2001–02 report included the following information on composition of ECNI staff at 31 January 2002.
	
		
			 Community Background Gender 
			 Protestant Roman Catholic Non-Determined Female Male 
			 42.3% 53.5% 4.2% 73.2% 26.8% 
		
	
	The religious and gender imbalances have been recognised by the commission and identified in its review under Article 55 of the Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998. An action plan to address these issues has been drawn up and adopted by the commission.

Police Service of Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What changes have been made to the Police Service of Northern Ireland's recruitment process since the start of 50:50 recruitment.

Baroness Amos: The selection methodology has remained broadly similar throughout the process and consists of an initial selection test, assessment centre, medical examination and vetting.
	The main alteration has been the removal of the physical competence assessment (PCA) from the recruitment process. It is now a requirement to pass this assessment prior to graduation from the training college. This was implemented for the fourth competition after a review of the PCA. The firearms handling test was removed at the same time.
	Other changes that have been instituted include allowing those who have been found to be qualified applicants to omit the initial selection test for the next two competitions, and a change in relation to the medical examination to facilitate qualified reapplicants.

Police Service of Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many candidates from a Protestant background and how many from a Roman Catholic background have been refused entry into the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Baroness Amos: As at 12 February, of the 31,943 applicants invited to sit in the initial selection test in the six competitions, 10,993 Roman Catholics and 19,862 Protestants were not appointed. Appointments from competition 4 are ongoing and appointments from competition 5 have started, although the pool is not yet finalised, and the pool for competition 6 is not expected to be ready until April this year.

Police Service of Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Policing Board for Northern Ireland has approved their proposal to continue the policy of 50:50 recruitment for the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Baroness Amos: Section 47 of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 states that, in deciding whether and, if so, how to exercise his powers to provide by order that the temporary provisions shall continue in force, the Secretary of State is required to consult the board and take into account any recommendations made to him by the board.
	Professor Desmond Rea, on behalf of the Policing Board, wrote to the Government on 4 December last year, in response to the Government's consultation on 50:50 recruitment, and stated that it had not, given the political membership of the board, been possible to give a corporate board response.

Belfast Education and Library Board

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 24 February (WA 39) concerning the funding of the primary schools in Belfast, what further support has been, or can be, offered to Stranmillis Primary School.

Baroness Amos: The Belfast Education and Library Board (BELB) has responsibility for funding this school. The chief executive has advised that in 2003–04 additional assistance has been provided as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 Budget Addition 37,523 
			 Making a Good Start (P1 pupils) 15,958 
			 Code of Practice (based on special needs pupils) 371 
			 Assimilation Payments for Principal/Vice Principal 5,849 
			 Reading Recovery 14,667 
			 Total Additional Funding 74,368 
		
	
	In addition, the Belfast Education and Library Board LMS scheme provides for the allocation of funding to schools for defined circumstances, particularly the employment of substitute teachers and support for statemented pupils. Most schools will receive an allocation under these arrangements but the amount allocated to individual schools will not be known until after the conclusion of the financial year in question.

Northern Ireland: Environment and Heritage Service

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What proposals they have to increase resources for the Environment and Heritage Service of the Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland.

Baroness Amos: The spending plans for the Department of the Environment published in Priorities and Budget 2004–06 (Northern Ireland) include allocations of £56.3 million in 2004–05 and £56.8 million in 2005–06 for the Environment and Heritage Service. These compare with an allocation of £50.8 million for 2003–04. Copies of this report are available in the Library.

Middle East

Lord Turnberg: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What encouragement they are giving to the Palestinian Authority to respond to the efforts of the Israeli Government to withdraw settlements from the Gaza strip.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Government regularly press the Palestinian Authority to take visible steps to degrade terrorist capabilities. I did so in the occupied territories on 21–23 January, and most recently on 6 February our Consul General in Jerusalem spoke to the Palestinian Prime Minister.
	Both sides need to implement their obligations under the road map and we expect all parties to respond positively and start implementation without delay. We welcome Prime Minister Sharon's reiteration of Israel's commitment to the road map and his subsequent announcement that he will remove settlements in Gaza. We would warmly welcome a withdrawal of settlers and the Israeli defence force from Gaza to Israel. We hope it will be the first step to a full, negotiated withdrawal from occupied territories and will improve the humanitarian situation on the ground for the Palestinians.

Gulf War 1990–91: Kuwaiti Prisoners

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Since the defeat of Saddam Hussein, what they have learnt about the fate of Kuwait's prisoners-of-war following the 1990–91 Gulf War; and what role their families will be allowed in the legal process now facing Hussein.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: 572 Kuwaitis, and 33 other nationals, were taken from Kuwait during the 1990–91 occupation. To date, the remains of 75 prisoners of war have now been positively identified from mass graves in Iraq, 67 of which are Kuwaiti. The rest remain unaccounted for. Legal proceedings against Saddam Hussein are a matter for the Iraqis. In December, the Iraqi Governing Council established a special tribunal to try senior members of the former regime. The Iraqi Governing Council are currently discussing the rules and procedures for this tribunal.

Sudan: Darfur

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will seek the approval of the United Nations Security Council for a mandatory arms embargo on Sudan.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The situation in Darfur requires urgent action. A ceasefire is needed, preferably with international monitoring, to permit humanitarian access to all those in need. We think it unlikely that a mandatory arms embargo through the UN Security Council would help the situation in Darfur within this timeframe. However, an EU arms embargo is in place which we implement rigorously.

Sudan: Darfur

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their response to the declaration on 9 February of an amnesty and an end to military operations in Darfur, Sudan; and whether they have evidence that it is resulting in a ceasefire and the return of displaced people.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: We were pleased that President Bashir's statement of 9 February acknowledged the need to open corridors for the delivery of humanitarian assistance in Darfur.
	However, fighting continues and, despite the enormous needs, humanitarian access remains very limited. The EU issued a statement on 25 February expressing serious concern at the situation in Darfur, calling for unhindered humanitarian access, and urging all parties to the conflict to agree to an immediate ceasefire, to allow peace talks to resume.

Alcohol-related Crime

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What statistics are collected regularly by the Home Office relating to (a) the level of alcohol-related violent crime; (b) violent offences committed in connection with licensed premises; and (c) violent offences committed under the influence of an intoxicating substance.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Within the recorded crime series, the combined offence of causing death by dangerous driving and causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs is the only alcohol/intoxicating substance-related offence specifically listed. The most recently published figures on this offence are given in the table.
	The British Crime Survey (BCS) estimates the level of alcohol-related violent crime using the question, "As far as you know, at the time it happened was the person who did it under the influence of drink?". This question is asked of those who admitted being the victim of a violent offence in the previous 12 months. This question is asked every year. The last published figures in relation to this question were published in September 2003, and reported on questions asked in the 2000 BCS. This estimated that there were 1,246,000 incidents of alcohol-related violence in 1999 (Research Development Statistics, online report 35/03). More recent estimates have been published on the proportion of violence which is considered to be committed by someone under the influence of drink in 2001–02, which was 47 per cent (Home Office Statistical Bulletin 01/03).
	In the BCS, all victims of violent crime are asked about the location of the incident. The options include, "In/around pub/bar/night club/ working men's club" and "In/around dancehall/disco". This gives us a measure of the number and proportion of incidents committed in connection with licensed premises. The figures published from the 2000 BCS revealed that 19 per cent of all violence occurs in or around a pub, bar or club, which is an estimated 623,000 incidents per year (online report 35/03).
	
		Recorded crime by offence 1991 and 1995 to 2002–03 and percentage change between 2001–02 and 2002–03 -- Numbers and percentage changesRecorded crime
		
			 HO Office Offence Classification No(1) Offence 1991 1995 1996 1997 1997–98(1)   1998–99(1) 
			 4.4 Causing death by dangerous driving 
			 4.6 Causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs 416 242 320 291 325 348 
			   
		
	
	
		
			 HO Office Offence Classification No(1) Offence 1998–99(2) 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03(3) % change between 2001–02 and 2002–03(3) 
			 4.4 Causing death by dangerous driving 
			 4.6 Causing death by careless driving when  under the influence of drink or drugs 349 317 335 370 413 12 
			   
		
	
	(1) The number of crimes recorded in that financial year using the coverage and rules in use until 31 March 1998.
	(2) The number of crimes recorded in that financial year using the expanded offence coverage and revised counting rules which came into effect on 1 April 1998.
	(3) Numbers of recorded crimes will be affected by changes in reporting and recording. For further information see Chapter 3 in "Crime in England and Wales 2002–03".

Armed Forces: Medically Downgraded Personnel

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many downgraded personnel in the Armed Forces are not fit for operational deployment; and whether they will include this figure in future assessments of medically downgraded personnel.

Lord Bach: Within the Armed Forces, the three Services currently have different systems of medical downgrading reflecting the different roles they perform in delivering military capability. Medical downgrading statistics include those who are ill and injured, but also include those Service women who are pregnant. In addition they include those who have long-term conditions but remain fit for the task they are expected to undertake. As of the quarter ending 1 October 2003, centrally held figures show that 2,095 trained Royal Navy personnel were assessed as not fit for operational deployment. Within the Army, 2,945 trained personnel in other ranks were assessed as non-deployable but figures for Army officers are not available for this period.
	The total figure for the RAF of medically downgraded trained personnel, which includes those with either limited deployability or non-deployability, is 4,412. It is not currently possible to differentiate between those who would be deployed in a limited capacity and those who are completely non-deployable within the medically downgraded RAF personnel figures. However, there is a mechanism in place for RAF personnel to be individually assessed if there is an operational requirement. As these assessments are carried out on an individual basis, it is not possible to identify these people as a group.
	Work is under way to refine the way in which fitness for task is measured across the Armed Forces and future assessments of medically downgraded personnel will seek to differentiate those that are not fit for operational deployment.

Obesity

Lord Clement-Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans they have to appoint an obesity tsar to address the problems of those who are obese, and prevent increases in their number.

Lord Warner: The Government are not considering the appointment of an obesity tsar. Action to prevent obesity is already integral to the national service frameworks (NSF) on coronary heart disease (CHD), diabetes, older people and the forthcoming children's NSF. These set standards for action on nutrition and exercise, and for tackling obesity. Clinical tsars—including those for CHD, cancer, diabetes, and children—all highlight obesity as a key area of concern.
	The public health White Paper will provide the overarching framework for all government efforts to improve public health and to progress work on the prevention and management of overweight and obesity.

Simvastatin

Lord Clement-Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether pharmacy status for simvastatin would be linked to cholesterol testing so that patients at high risk of a first coronary event could receive a higher dose statin, on prescription under the care of a general practitioner.

Lord Warner: The Government have consulted publicly on a proposal to make simvastatin 1Omg available over the counter in pharmacies, to reduce the risk of a first major coronary event in people who are likely to be at a moderate risk of coronary heart disease. The Committee on Safety of Medicines will advise Ministers on the proposals in the light of the responses to consultation.
	The proposal also includes a pharmacy protocol on the questions pharmacists would need to ask to ensure those at a higher risk and who need to be referred to their general practitioner can be identified and those at a lower risk can choose to purchase a statin. Current evidence suggests that, for adults in western societies, it can be beneficial to reduce cholesterol levels whatever the starting point. The intention is that pharmacists will be able to offer cholesterol testing to people who want it.

Post Office: Delivery of Party Election Material

Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have discussed with the Post Office ways of preventing postal delivery workers delivering party election material (other than election freepost items) while wearing their Post Office uniform; and, if not, whether they consider it desirable that this should happen.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: This is an operational matter for the Royal Mail. I understand that Royal Mail's code of business standards sets out that employees should not distribute or deliver unauthorised material while on duty or in uniform. Unauthorised material would include party election material that Royal Mail has not been officially asked to deliver or has not been posted through its system. Failure to comply with the code of business standards could result in disciplinary action being taken against the employee.

Pension Protection Fund

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In relation to pensions in payment where the pensioners retired before April 1997, what level of inflation-proofing will be provided by the proposed Pension Protection Fund (PPF); and for how many people and by how much on average that inflation proofing would fall short of the inflation protection to which they would have been entitled from their pension scheme before the assumption of responsibility by the PPF.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: For pensions in payment where the pensioners retired before April 1997 no inflation-proofing would be provided were they to enter the proposed PPF. However pensions in payment where the pensioner retired after April 1997 would receive inflation-proofing up to a cap of 2.5 per cent or RPI, whichever is the lower, on post-April 1997 accruals.
	Details for how many people and by how much on average that inflation-proofing would fall short of the inflation protection to which they would have been entitled from their pension scheme before the assumption of responsibility by the PPF are not available.

Pension Protection Fund

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Hollis of Heigham on 24 June 2003 (WA 13), what are the bases on which they have arrived at their current estimated annual cost of £300 million for the Pension Protection Fund, and the reasons, including the cost effect in each case, for the reduction from the cost of £340 million to £375 million previously estimated.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: In recalculating the costs, the same methodology was used as set out in the written reply of 24 June 2003, but updated to take account of current market conditions and the decision taken on the precise nature of the PPF compensation payable.

Pension Protection Fund

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In estimating the cost of the Pension Protection Fund, what estimate they have made in respect of companies which avoid insolvency but are unable to make good underfunding in their pension schemes.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: In order to be eligible for compensation from the Pension Protection Fund (PPF), not only must the defined benefit or hybrid pension scheme be with insufficient assets to buy out the PPF level of benefits, but its sponsoring employer must also first be insolvent. So to that extent we did not need to take account of solvent employers in calculating the cost of the PPF.
	Members of schemes where the sponsoring employer avoids insolvency will be protected through the new full buy-out regulations and scheme-specific funding arrangements.
	Where a sponsoring employer is solvent and its salary-related occupational scheme starts to wind up, regulations have been introduced so that the debt due from the employer is calculated on the basis that the scheme should be able to meet the full costs of winding up and the full benefits that scheme members have accrued and expect to receive.
	Under our proposals to replace the minimum funding requirement with scheme-specific funding arrangements, trustees and employers will be required to agree a strategy for funding the scheme's pension commitments and for correcting any underfunding. Where a sponsoring employer is unable to meet those funding requirements and becomes insolvent, the PPF will compensate the pension scheme members.
	It is also worth pointing out that the funding of defined-benefit schemes is a long-term business—temporary underfunding does not necessarily affect member security.

Disability Benefits

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was the total cost, at constant prices, of expenditure on disability benefits in each of the past 10 years for which figures are available; and what is their estimate for the current year.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: The information requested is given in the table below.
	
		
			  Attendance Allowance Industrial Injuries Benefits Disability Living Allowance Motability Specialised VehiclesFund Vaccine Damage Payments Total 
			 1993–94 2,297 878 3,547 3 * 6,725 
			 1994–95 2,484 894 3,954 2 * 7,334 
			 1995–96 2,689 896 4,659 4  8,248 
			 1996–97 2,846 884 5,350 3 * 9,083 
			 1997–98 2,908 862 5,713 4 * 9,487 
			 1998–99 3,009 854 5,969 5  9,837 
			 1999–2000 3,112 830 6,240 6 * 10,188 
			 2000–01 3,203 823 6,550 7 66 10,649 
			 2001–02 3,302 823 6,953 10 7 11,094 
			 2002–03 3,340 804 7,246 8 2 11,400 
			 2003–04 3,342 748 7,541 8 3 11,642 
		
	
	Figures may not sum due to rounding.
	Notes: All amounts are shown in £ millions and are in 2003–04 prices calculated using the GDP deflator published at Pre-Budget Report 2003.
	The symbol* denotes amounts less than 1 million.
	All figures consistent with Pre-Budget Report 2003.
	Figures for 2002–03 are based on estimated out-turns.
	Figures for 2003–04 are a forecast of expenditure.

Mobility Allowance

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many disabled people now receive the mobility allowance; what was the total spending on the allowance, at constant prices in each of the past 10 years; and what is their estimate for the current year.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: (1) The number of recipients of the mobility component of disability living allowance (DLA) is currently estimated at 2,191,000.
	(2) Expenditure in real terms on the mobility component of DLA over the past 10 years together with the current year forecast is estimated as follows:
	
		DLA mobility component expenditure 2003–04 prices (£ millions)
		
			 Year  
			 1993–94 2,170 
			 1994–95 2,340 
			 1995–96 2,690 
			 1996–97 2,980 
			 1997–98 3,130 
			 1998–99 3,240 
			 1999–2000 3,340 
			 2000–01 3,450 
			 2001–02 3,610 
			 2002–03 3,730 
			 2003–04 3,820 
		
	
	Sources:
	(1) Information on number of recipients comes from the Quarterly Statistical Enquiry (QSE) August 2003 5 per cent sample (Source: IAD Information Centre).
	(2) The expenditure figures are consistent with those in the benefit expenditure tables published at PBR 2003 and are converted to real terms using the GDP deflator (Source: IAD Benefit Forecasting and Model Development Division and QSE samples, February 1993 to August 2003).
	Note:
	(1) QSE sample data were used in the production of the DLA mobility component expenditure figures. Therefore, as in all cases where sample data are used, these figures are subject to sampling variation.
	(2) The figures are rounded to the nearest £10 million.

Motability

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What financial support was given to Motability, at constant prices in each of the past 10 years; and what estimate they have made for the current year.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: The information requested is given in the table below:
	
		Expenditure on Motability, real terms, 2003–04 prices
		
			  Motability Grant in Aid (£ millions) Motability Administration (£ millions) Total (£ millions) 
			 1993–94 3 3 6 
			 1994–95 2 4 7 
			 1995–96 4 5 9 
			 1996–97 3 5 9 
			 1997–98 4 5 10 
			 1998–99 5 5 10 
			 1999–2000 6 4 10 
			 2000–01 7 2 9 
			 2001–02 10 2 12 
			 2002–03 8 3 11 
			 2003–04 8 3 11 
		
	
	Figures may not sum due to rounding.
	Notes:
	The information relates to the specialised vehicles funds. In addition the Motability scheme receives exemptions from insurance premium tax and from VAT on lease charges and end-of-lease sales currently to the value of about £250 million per annum (individual annual figures are not available).
	All amounts are shown in £ millions, rounded to the nearest £ million, and are in 2003–04 prices calculated using the GDP deflator published at Pre-Budget Report 2003
	All figures consistent with Pre-Budget Report 2003
	Figures for 1993–4 to 2000–01 are outturn information taken from the department's appropriation accounts
	Figures for 2001–02 and 2002–03 are outturn information taken from the department's resource accounts
	Figures for 2003–04 are a forecast of expenditure

Pesticides

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Under which legislation manufacturers of pesticides are statutorily required to distribute copies of material safety data sheets to the National Poisons Information Service centres.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: There is no such legislation. However, the person responsible for first placing a biocidal product on the market in Great Britain has a duty under Regulation 29 of the Biocidal Products Regulations 2001 (BPR—Statutory Instrument No 2001/422) to inform the National Poisons Information Service (NPIS) centre in Birmingham. The information required is listed in Schedule 8 to the BPR. NPIS will accept a copy of the product's safety data sheet plus any additionally required information. Similar arrangements apply in Northern Ireland under the Biocidal Products Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001 (Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland 2001/422), where the information must be supplied to the Poison Information Service.

Pesticides

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What notices of changes to members' personal interests have been received by the secretariat of the Advisory Committee on Pesticides since January 2002; from which members such notices have been received; and what were the changes registered.

Lord Whitty: Changes to member's declared interests since January 2002 were:
	Emeritus Professor G Matthews. His previously declared consultancy on cold fogging techniques for Aventis ceased when the company became a part of Bayer CropScience.
	Mr J Orson. Additional interests declared: chairman of WRAG (Weed Resistance Action Group) and a member of the scientific steering committee of the field-scale evaluations of GM crops. A personal specific interest in Mesosulfuron-methyl.
	Mr C Stopes. Declared a personal specific interest in ECOguard Granules. Declared a lapsed personal non-specific interest in Breck-a-Sol.
	Professor G Edwards-Jones. Declared a non-personal specific interest in ECOguard Granules.
	Dr D N Bateman. Declared an interest in an item on human health monitoring, as he works for National Poisons Information Service.

Common Agricultural Policy: Integrated Administration and Control Scheme

Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the annual cost to public funds of administering and monitoring the Integrated Administration and Control Scheme in the United Kingdom under the European Union common agricultural policy.

Lord Whitty: The cost of administering and monitoring the Integrated Administration and Control Scheme within England for financial year 2002–03 (1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003) was £77,169,543 and represents the full costs within England. This figure includes direct and overhead expenditure.
	The information for other countries within the UK is a matter for their respective devolved assemblies.